Farewell to the cult 3DS and (definitely less iconic) Wii U it started a few months ago. On March 27, Nintendo closed the eShop for both devices – which means that their users lost the ability to purchase and download games digitally. Now the Japanese have decided to take the next step, which is to turn off the servers and close the online functions.
In early April 2024, online play and other features that use online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games. This also includes online co-op play, online leaderboards and data distribution
– we read in the official announcement published by Nintendo.
The company’s decision is surprising because in August the company boasted about the return of the online mode for two extremely popular productions on Nintendo Wi U, i.e. “Mario Kart 8” and “Splatoon”. Perhaps the Japanese have come to the conclusion that keeping the servers alive only for a few individual titles does not make much sense. One way or another, the decision has been made.
Nintendo 3DS and 2DS editorial collage, manufacturer’s materials
Two consoles and two different stories
The Nintendo Wii U is an extremely successful successor the popular Wii console, which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Released in 2012, the Wii U didn’t do so well. In fact, 13 million copies sold since the day of release is definitely one of the worst results in Nintendo’s history.
The portable Nintendo 3DS console, which was released to gamers in 2010, also had a difficult beginning, but over time its sales accelerated, reaching a total of over 75 million copies. However, what is even more impressive is the number of 3DS games sold, which to date has exceeded 388 million copies.
When is Nintendo Switch 2? Next year at the earliest
In recent days, we have also learned some new details about Nintendo Switch and its successor. The company’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, in an interview with the Japanese website Nikkei announced that Nintendo’s first-party studios will create games for Switch at least until March 2025.
We will continue to work on software for Nintendo Switch in the next fiscal year, which will end in March 2025. We want to maintain the high pace of development of the Switch business, especially focusing on maintaining the momentum created by the new Zelda
– said Shuntaro Furukawa.
The head of Nintendo did not reveal the company’s biggest secret, which is the release date of the Switch 2 console, but he suggested that the company intends to focus exclusively on the current generation of consoles until at least March 2024. This would mean that the Switch’s successor will go on sale no earlier than next spring.
This would be in line with the findings of the VGC website, which reported at the end of July that the release date currently targeted by Japanese Nintendo is the second half of 2024. Later this information was also confirmed by Tom Phillips, editor-in-chief of the British Eurogamer.
“Looking at Nintendo’s financials, it seems pretty clear that it’s time for new hardware in 2024.” – said Dr. Serkan Toto, a Japanese financial analyst, quoted by VGC. The expert predicts that this year Nintendo will record a decline in hardware sales of 16.5%. (year-to-year), and in the case of software this decline will amount to 15.9%.
The only way to prevent these losses from getting worse in the next fiscal is a new device, and the second half of 2024 sounds like a realistic window for the launch of such equipment
– emphasized Serkan Toto.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
